Marvel May Have Cancelled a Major MCU Debut in Avengers: Doomsday (But It’s the Right Call)

With a massive ensemble that includes characters from all corners of the multiverse, Avengers: Doomsday is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious projects Marvel Studios has ever attempted. For months, fans have been wondering how directors Joe and Anthony Russo are going to balance the immense cast and give everyone their just due — and that was before Chris Evans was confirmed to be returning as Steve Rogers (amidst rumors of countless other surprises and cameos). One character who’s been subject to much speculation is Ghost Rider, as some believe Doomsday will feature a version of the Spirit of Vengeance, but it sounds like that may not be in the cards.

According to a report from Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMovie), Ghost Rider is not part of the plan for Avengers Doomsday. “Even though they were looking to cast Ghost Rider for [Avengers: Doomsday], he’s not currently in the film, so I guess they changed their minds,” he said.

It’s Better If Ghost Rider Isn’t In Avengers: Doomsday

As fun as it would be to see a Ghost Rider variant pop up in Doomsday (perhaps setting the stage for Marvel’s Midnight Sons movie), it’s arguably for the best if the character doesn’t appear now. Avengers: Doomsday has a lot on its plate already, as it features multiple superhero teams, continues the arcs of long-established Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, and introduces audiences to Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. With titles like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War under their belts, the Russos are masters of balancing large Marvel ensembles, but throwing Ghost Rider in the mix here might be too much even for them.

Doom is obviously the big new character being introduced in Doomsday, and since he doesn’t have the benefit of the years of setup Thanos had in the Infinity Saga, Doomsday needs to work overtime to get viewers acclimated with this version of Doctor Doom. That means a considerable amount of screen time should be used to establish Doom’s character and his arc across Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. There’s also a need to acclimate viewers with these variants of the X-Men and where things stand in their universe. Though the X-Men are being portrayed by veterans of Fox’s film series, Doomsday is technically the first time we’ll meet these particular versions of those characters.

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Even if the Doomsday run time pushes the three-hour mark, when you consider Doctor Doom, the X-Men, and the continuing storylines of other established MCU characters, it would be a tall ask to give another major character a proper introduction. Rather than including Ghost Rider and having his role be short-changed, it’s better if he’s just left on the sidelines for now. As Halle Berry has said with regard to a possible return as Storm, there are other rounds upcoming, so Marvel will have other opportunities down the line to use Ghost Rider in a way that gives him a meaningful role.

Assuming Ghost Rider doesn’t appear in Doomsday (there’s always a chance he’s a late addition as a surprise), he could always show up in Secret Wars. It wouldn’t be a shock if some of the heroes in Doomsday died trying to protect the multiverse from Doctor Doom, which would open voids in the ensemble new characters could fill. That could be a better way to bring Ghost Rider to the fold, as he theoretically would have more to do if he wasn’t competing with too many other characters for screen time. It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds. While Marvel fans would love to see Ghost Rider on the big screen again, it might be smarter to hold back until Midnight Sons or a similar project where Ghost Rider can be a main focus rather than a smaller cog in a much larger wheel.

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